Interferon-alpha - Mechanism of Action

Interferon-alpha is a cytokine medication used to treat certain viral infections, cancers (such as Kaposi sarcoma and chronic myeloid leukemia), and autoimmune conditions.
Category
Drug
Where to get
Administered as injections under medical supervision in hospital or clinical settings.
Applicable for
Viral Infections | Cancer | Autoimmune Diseases
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Interferon-alpha FAQ


Image credit: si.edu

What is interferon type I?

Interferon type I (α/β/δ...) Interferons ( IFN s, / ˌɪntərˈfɪərɒn / IN-tər-FEER-on ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten their anti-viral defenses.

Is interferon alpha a chromosomal protein?

Cytokines. 1998 : 361–389. Interferon alpha (IFN-α) is a mixture of closely related proteins, termed “subtypes,” expressed from distinct chromosomal genes. Interferon β (IFN-β) is a single protein species and is molecularly related to IFN-α subtypes, although it is antigenically distinct from them.

What is interferon alfa (INN)?

Interferon alfa ( INN) or HuIFN-alpha-Le, trade name Multiferon, is a pharmaceutical drug composed of natural interferon alpha (IFN-α), obtained from the leukocyte fraction of human blood following induction with Sendai virus. Interferon alfa contains several naturally occurring IFN-α subtypes and is purified by affinity chromatography.

How was alpha interferon made?

He produced large amounts of human alpha interferon from large quantities of human white blood cells collected by the Finnish Blood Bank. Large amounts of human beta interferon were made by superinducing the beta interferon gene in human fibroblast cells.

What is an Interferon Cytokine?

What is an interferon? Interferon (IFN) proteins are a family of cytokines secreted by host cells to modulate the immune response. As the first class of cytokines discovered, they were named “interferon” due to the protein’s ability to interfere with viral replication.

Interferon-alpha References

If you want to know more about Interferon-alpha, consider exploring links below:

What Is Interferon-alpha

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interferon
  2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320945
  3. https://www.britannica.com/science/interferon
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4666791/
  5. https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Microbiology/Microbiology_(Boundless)/11%3A_Immunology/11.04%3A_Innate_Defenders/11.4B%3A_Interferons
  6. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41573-018-0011-2

Interferon-alpha Information

  1. https://www.thermofisher.com/au/en/home/life-science/cell-analysis/cell-analysis-learning-center/immunology-at-work/interferons-overview.html
  2. https://www.mpnallianceaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/INTERFERON-ALPHA-FINAL-April-2021.pdf

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